July 27, 2012 -- The National Institute of Building Sciences testified today before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Water and Power during a hearing on water efficiency and energy impacts. Invited to provide testimony by the Subcommittee, Institute President Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA highlighted findings and recommendations from a recently released report developed by the Institute’s Consultative Council, specifically addressing concerns related to improving energy and water efficiency.

Green discussed the need to establish water benchmark data at both the whole building level and for individual end uses; the impact utilities and building managers can have on water use by installing metering and sub-metering in buildings; the importance of developing a national water strategy; and the dire need to upgrade the nation’s energy and water delivery infrastructure.

The day before, Green provided written testimony to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, which held a hearing to review building codes and mitigation efforts to help minimize the costs associated with natural disasters. Green’s House testimony focused on the efforts of the Multihazard Mitigation Council (MMC) and Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) and the Institute’s ongoing work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The 2005 MMC report on future savings from mitigation activities and its finding that one dollar spent on mitigation saves society an average of four dollars featured prominently in his testimony and the testimony of witnesses. The hearing also focused on H.R. 2069, the Safe Building Code Incentive Act of 2011, as a potential method for encouraging building code adoption at the state level. The Institute has supported the legislation through membership in the BuildStrong Coalition—a coalition of private sector organizations representing insurance, design and construction, local governments and public safety interests.

The
National Institute of Building Sciences , authorized by public law 93-383 in 1974, is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that brings together representatives of government, the professions, industry, labor and consumer interests to identify and resolve building process and facility performance problems. The Institute serves as an authoritative source of advice for both the private and public sectors with respect to the use of building science and technology. For more information, please visit
www.nibs.org .